Telling a Story Using the Past Simple

A fun English lesson for ESL students to learn the past simple regular, past simple irregular verbs, vocabulary, and expressions for telling a story. Watch the ESL video about Past Regular & Irregular Verbs and use the ESL Printable and Digital storytelling flashcards to retell the story using the past tense. Get the downloadable and printable worksheets, ESL printable and digital flashcards, ESL listening and reading exercises, and gamify lessons with badges and stamps.

Watch the following YouTube video:

ESL Listening Questions about Telling a Story

1. According to Tony, how was the surprise party?
2. What did everyone do when they first arrived at the party?
3. What did everyone do after that?
4. What happened from nine o’clock?
5. What happened when the music started to play?
6. What did Bill receive from everyone?
7. What did Jessica give him?
8. What did he do when he received the birthday cake?
9. According to Tony, what was the best part of the night?
10. What did Frank do when he received the tickets?

Vocabulary Builder

A. Choose the words from the word bank with the same or similar meaning as the words below.

1. a lot of fun
2. wild
3. very happy
4. really

B. Choose the words from the word bank with the opposite meaning as the words below.

1. take
2. healthy
3. stop
4. worst

Fill-in-the-blanks

Use words from the Word Bank to complete the sentences below.

1. It’s a custom to ______________________________ on the birthday cake after you make a wish.
2. The other night was so much fun. I had ______________________________.
3. Don’t forget to ______________________________ before you blow out the candles.
4. The _________________ thing I do in the morning is check my phone.
5. There was a ______________________________ present waiting for me. I couldn’t believe how big it was.

Grammar – Past Simple Verbs

Complete the story by conjugating the verbs into the past tense.

I_____________________  ¹ (go) to a party last weekend. It _____________________ ² (be) a lot of fun. I _____________________ ³ (meet) a lot of people. I _____________________ ⁴ (make) a lot of friends. The food _____________________ ⁵ (be) amazing! I _____________________ ⁶ (eat) a lot and _____________________ ⁷ (drink) too much. I also _____________________  ⁸ (take) a lot of pictures. I can’t wait until the next party!

ESL Printable and Digital Flashcards to Tell a Story

Use the following ESL printable flashcards to tell a story using the past simple.

ESL Conversation: Telling a Story using the Past Simple

Samantha: How was the surprise party on Tuesday, Tony?

Tony: It was a blast! Everyone was really surprised.

First, everyone sang happy birthday when we walked in the door.

After that, we ate and drank lots.

Then, at about nine o’clock, we started to listen to music.

That is when everyone started to dance.

After that, everyone gave Bill some presents.

He was so excited, and he thought that it was the end of the party.

That is when Jessica gave him a huge birthday cake.

He closed his eyes, made a wish and blew out the candles.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you the best part of the night.

Samantha: What’s that Tony?

Tony: Before we gave him his cake, Frank surprised him with tickets to the Lions game. Suddenly, Bill decided to do a crazy dance on the sofa. At the end of the night, Bill was super happy. He had a smile on his face from ear to ear.

Samantha: It sounds like it was a great night! I wish I wouldn’t have been so sick.

ESL Gamification: Digital Badges and Stamps

Gamify your lessons with digital badges and stamps. Assign stamps to steps and objectives to motivate students.

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